The Table
Wang Yuyang and The Burmese Craftmanship from Paribawga
2024
H 73 x W 150 cm
Teak Wood, Metal
"Out of Teak" Exhibition Presented by K11 Craft & Guild Foundation and Paribawga (2024)
The cultural fabric of Myanmar as a country consists of the diverse and long-standing traditions of different states, interwoven with European influences from the British colonial era—not unlike Hong Kong. Such complexity is perfectly reflected in the exquisitely crafted furniture that comes to life with intricate hand carvings, which are the culmination of dedication and craftsmanship perfected over generations. With modern technology, designers of today enjoy access to art and culture across the world throughout history. With this immense privilege comes the responsibility to ensure centuries-old artistic traditions remain relevant today through the centuries to come. A form can transcend time and space with different materials. When they are mixed together, they become an object of surreal feeling. When this work started, Wang Yuyang received a traditionally crafted chair from Paribawga and obtained some digital data. Based on this set of data, the artist generated a new conceptual object. And then these new generated objects were generated into the traditional crafted table from Myanmar. It was also learning the process – how to make a piece of furniture. It’s a lot about how to merge, how to combine tradition and modernity. From symbiotic relationships, intriguing derivative works have been created. In future work or creations, it is an episode or a memorable process. It is a symphony of modernity and tradition, art and design, digital technology and traditional craftsmanship.
The work has been auctioned off during the Charity Auction on March 22nd 2025 and creatively loaned by the generous bidder for Design Trust Charity Exhibition: Transformational Exceptions.
About Yuyang Wang
Wang Yuyang is an award-winning artist, born in the Heilongjiang province in China. Yuyang leverages humour to delve into and contemplate the complex relationships between the human body, experience and cognition, all whilst investing the inextricabilities of artificial intelligence, media technology and historical perception.
About Paribawga
Burmese teak is one of the most prized timbers, while the centuries-old craftmanship of wood carving is regarded as a national treasure in Myanmar. Utilising data from a digital scan of a traditional Burmese table by Paribawga, Wang generated sculptural form, which then became inspiration for a collection pieces crafted by Paribawga based on concepts by Creative Director of Paribawga. The mutual inspiration results in a reinterpretation of cultural fabric, traditionalism, aesthetics, and inheritance and innovation of craftsmanship incorporated in the Burmese furniture, through the fusion of Eastern philosophies.
